Anglican Devotional 5 July 2024: Abraham’s Ancestors Faith Zone

The Daily Fountain Devotional of the Church Of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) 5 July 2024 – Abraham’s Ancestors

TOPIC: Abraham’s Ancestors

READ: Genesis 11: 10-32 (NKJV)

This [is] the genealogy of Shem: Shem [was] one hundred years old, and begot Arphaxad two years after the flood.
After he begot Arphaxad, Shem lived five hundred years, and begot sons and daughters.
Arphaxad lived thirty-five years, and begot Salah.
After he begot Salah, Arphaxad lived four hundred and three years, and begot sons and daughters.
Salah lived thirty years, and begot Eber.
After he begot Eber, Salah lived four hundred and three years, and begot sons and daughters.
Eber lived thirty-four years, and begot Peleg.
After he begot Peleg, Eber lived four hundred and thirty years, and begot sons and daughters.
Peleg lived thirty years, and begot Reu.
After he begot Reu, Peleg lived two hundred and nine years, and begot sons and daughters.
Reu lived thirty-two years, and begot Serug.
After he begot Serug, Reu lived two hundred and seven years, and begot sons and daughters.
Serug lived thirty years, and begot Nahor.
After he begot Nahor, Serug lived two hundred years, and begot sons and daughters.
Nahor lived twenty-nine years, and begot Terah.
After he begot Terah, Nahor lived one hundred and nineteen years, and begot sons and daughters.
Now Terah lived seventy years, and begot Abram, Nahor, and Haran.
This [is] the genealogy of Terah: Terah begot Abram, Nahor, and Haran. Haran begot Lot.
And Haran died before his father Terah in his native land, in Ur of the Chaldeans.
Then Abram and Nahor took wives: the name of Abram’s wife [was] Sarai, and the name of Nahor’s wife, Milcah, the daughter of Haran the father of Milcah and the father of Iscah.
But Sarai was barren; she had no child.
And Terah took his son Abram and his grandson Lot, the son of Haran, and his daughter-in-law Sarai, his son Abram’s wife, and they went out with them from Ur of the Chaldeans to go to the land of Canaan; and they came to Haran and dwelt there.
So the days of Terah were two hundred and five years, and Terah died in Haran.

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THE MESSAGE:

An account of Abraham’s 9 ancestors from Noah is presented, each with his lifespan, and age at first son’s birth. Note the decline in total lifespan, from 600 years for Shem to 205 for Terah (verses 10 & 32). The age at birth of first son also declined generally. While Shem and Terah had their first sons at the age of 100 and 70 respectively, Nahor begot Terah at the youthful age of29 (verses 10, 24, 26). The reasons for this general decline should provoke a robust discussion. Two unfortunate incidents in the passage also merit some attention. First is the untimely death of Abraham’s youngest brother, Haran (Lot’s father), and the barrenness of Abraham’s wife, Sarah (verse 28, verse 20).

In verse 31, we see that Terah took Abraham with others and headed for Canaan, but settled half-way in Haran, where he eventually died (verse 32). This may have been in response to God’s directive to Abraham (Genesis 12.1). It is not clear why they paused the journey at Haran and how long they lived there before moving on to Canaan. Some people pause or terminate their journey of faith halfway because of the pressures of life or deceitfulness of riches (Matthew 13: 22). Do not stop halfway. Where are you now in your journey of faith?